You’re creating great content that deserves a wide audience, and it’s time to make sure that content is performing to its full potential. One of the best ways to do that is by implementing a hyperlinking strategy that will improve your content’s authority and increase its SEO value. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
1. Include two to five external links per article
As you may know, external links are simply HTML hyperlinks that take the reader to an external site. You may sometimes see them referred to as backlinks as well. Including external links in your article is a great way to boost your authority and SEO performance. As with all good things, however, moderation is best. Generally, it’s best to include between two to five external links in a substantial blog post.
In addition, it’s wise to take a thoughtful approach when creating those links. Do they provide a helpful service to the reader? If you’re citing a specific survey or research report, for example, then it makes sense to link directly to the original source. However, you may not want to include external links when it comes to general concepts like eCommerce or entrepreneurship since that gives your audience a reason to leave your blog without providing them with something of unique value.
2. Make sure your links are relevant
Consider the quality and reputation of the sites you link to. Google will definitely factor that in when assessing your link profile. Sites that are known to link indiscriminately with the hope of quickly boosting their SEO are often penalized because that practice hinders Google’s ability to deliver high-quality, relevant search results for its users.
According to Search Engine Journal, it’s always best to create a link that is relevant to the topic at hand rather than simply linking to a site that ranks highly for a keyword you are targeting. Create a link that lends additional context to the topic you’re discussing in your blog post, providing the reader with a resource where they can find a more detailed explanation of that particular point. That way, you can stay focused on the main topic you want to discuss in your post.
As Ahrefs points out, you shouldn’t forget to create internal links to your own site where it’s appropriate. Pages that have no internal links pointing to them are considered orphan pages and may not receive the full amount of organic traffic they would otherwise bring in. By creating internal links to pages on your site, you can help Google discover your content and boost your site’s overall SEO performance.
3. Pay special attention to anchor text
Anchor text, which refers to the words in your text that are hyperlinked, is also crucial to a successful hyperlinking strategy. Make sure that your anchor text is relevant and helpful, providing a natural jumping-off point for your audience should they want to access more information on a given topic. If the anchor text seems forced or awkward, readers may not trust it, and as a result, you may not get the site traffic you would otherwise enjoy.
When done well, hyperlinking can establish your authority and boost your site’s visibility. If you take care to always include between two and five well-chosen external links, make sure the links you feature are relevant, and select natural anchor text, you’ll see a nice uptick in your SEO performance and draw more visitors to your site.
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